Much later that night, Regina sat on her bed, dressed in a blue satin slip. She held a glass of apple cider in her hand, and hummed to herself, thinking about the day. There had been so many meetings in office, and she had come home only a couple of hours ago. Yet, after a piping hot soak in the tub, followed by cooking her favourite meal (lasagne), and listening to music in the kitchen – she was feeling pleasantly content. Every meeting had gone well today, even the one with Rumple, thanks to Belle's presence.

Or maybe she had just been in an exceptionally good mood.

She studiously ignored her cellphone. Robin's messages had changed from hurt and outraged to pleading and apologetic. Regina pressed the cool glass of cider to her temple, wondering why everything he said sounded so rehearsed, as if he were always playing the role of a good man. Sometimes she felt that if she got into his mind somehow, pushed through his laidback friendliness, she would find absolutely nothing inside.

She sighed as the black screen of her cellphone display stared back at her silently. Emma, she thought with a flush. There was always something so real about Emma – in spite of, or perhaps because of that fluster, bluster, messy, awkward, (delightful, her mind added) idiocy.

She put her phone away. Anticipation, she decided with uncharacteristic good humour, was delicious. She touched the rim of her glass to her lips, wondering why her sudden attraction to Emma – discovered not even twenty-four hours ago – felt so natural. She had brought paperwork home and in an effort to distract herself from questions she didn't want to think about, she began reading.

And then, just when her mind had managed to successfully wander into why Granny's lease terms were so low, she heard a sound that made her freeze. In the silence of the night, the only sounds were the rustle of the pages she dropped on her desk, the chink of her glasses as she set them down, the swish of her leg smoothly moving against the sheet as she placed her feet on the floor. And the loud purring of an engine drawing closer.

A car had pulled up inside her driveway.

Feeling her breath catch, Regina drained her glass and smoothened down her slip with fingers that only slightly trembled, were only slightly damp. For a few minutes, she stayed still, while the engine continued to hum. When she turned to her side and switched off the bedroom light, the engine died, instantly. Then, a car door was shut. She heard light movement downstairs. She wondered if the doorbell would ring.

But there was nothing after. Just the rustling of the leaves in the wind, the hooting of an owl far away, the chirping of a cricket in the distance. And then, if she hadn't been listening hard, alive to every rhythm of her own heartbeat, she would have missed the soft thud – a few feet from her bed, right by the balcony.

She looked up, and there stood the figure in the same hoodie. Moonlight streamed in from behind the silhouette. Regina watched the figure, wishing there was a little more cider in her glass, to wet her suddenly dry throat.

And this time, as she stood up by her bed, she knew exactly who it was.

'Hi,' said Emma's voice, sounding breathless, shy, and sheepish, all in one.

'Sheriff Swan,' said Regina, forcing a confidence she did not feel. It was too similar to the previous night, too similar for her to not feel weak-kneed 'I see you found the intruder. Though, I believe I told you to use the front – '

She stopped speaking as the figure – as Emma – stepped forward. She was tossing aside the hoodie. Her hair was streaming around her shoulders, glistening in the moonlight. Regina felt her breath catch, wondering if she had never noticed Emma before, or had done everything she could to forget just how much she noticed her.

She had a pretty strong feeling she knew which it was.

'I want to tell you – everything. But you need to promise me something,' said Emma.

Regina wanted to argue, wanted to ask, but most of all, she wanted to close that infernal distance between them. Instead, she said in as cool a voice as she could manage, 'Ms Swan, I do not like playing games.'

Emma swallowed, then seemed to stiffen, 'Just one promise, please Regina.'

Regina's eyes roved over Emma. Absently licking her lips, she bit out, 'What?'

'You can't break up with Robin.'

Regina's eyebrows lifted slowly, even as a sharp pain seemed to jab into her heart. Every bit the regal queen, she replied haughtily, 'I broke up with him the moment you kissed me.'

In that much darkness, Regina could not make out Emma's expression, but she could see that the figure had gone rigid in shock.

'No,' whispered Emma, sounding horrified.

Regina felt a growing rush of confusion and disappointment. Crossing her arms, she said, 'I don't know what you're proposing Ms Swan, but I do not cheat. Frankly, your behaviour is utterly baffling. First, you break into my house with no explanation – '

For only the second time in less than twenty seconds, Regina found she was interrupting herself because of Emma Swan.

Emma had fallen to her knees, and was letting out a moan of anguish. And Regina found herself pulled towards Emma, as if by a magic far deeper than any she had wielded. For underneath that frail thread that kept them polite, kept them apart, was an invisible bond, one she had always taken for granted, always held tightly to. Ever since the day Emma Swan walked into her life.

Tentatively reaching out to stroke Emma's hair, Regina murmured, 'Emma, what?'

But Emma pushed Regina's arm aside, and curled into herself, slowly rocking, muttering inaudibly.

Sighing to herself, Regina ignored the shaking and pulled Emma to her, cradling her right there on the floor. Minutes passed, and Emma's shaking and muttering subsided. Her hands began groping blindly on the floor. Regina leaned over and picked up the hoodie where it had fallen, and passed it to Emma's chest without a word.

Emma clutched the hoodie with a mumbled thanks. They sat side by side, staring out of the balcony, out at the star-lit sky. At long last, Emma shuffled closer to Regina, and rested her head on Regina's shoulder. Taking the movement as encouragement, Regina put her arm around Emma and held her.

When she realised that Emma was shivering, she nudged her up. There was no resistance from Emma as Regina helped Emma clamber to her feet. She brushed her hair back behind her ears, thinking to herself – clumsy, awkward, sweet Emma.

And then Emma was holding her, pulling her to the bed. Regina lay down obediently, watching as Emma, with renewed energy, removed her boots, hopped a little as she pulled off her jeans, then climbed into bed and pulled a sheet over them. She felt a sense of wonder as Emma leaned into her on her side, her tear-stained cheeks brushing against Regina's face as she pulled herself closer and hugged Regina with one arm.

And then Emma was whispering, her voice thick with emotion, 'I'm going to tell you, but please don't leave me.'

Regina turned towards Emma, pulling her even closer with her arm. With their faces touching, her eyes closed, Regina said against Emma's lips, 'I only just found you Emma. I'm not letting you go.'

This close to her, she didn't have to open her eyes to know that Emma was smiling.

'All right,' said Emma, 'I'll tell you a,' she sniffled, 'a story then.'

Regina gently ran her fingers through Emma's hair, lightly touching her scalp, 'A bedtime story?' she said teasingly.

Emma bit her lip and nodded. Then said in a small voice, 'Since we are in bed.'

Regina's lips quirked. She noticed that Emma's body had relaxed into hers; that she seemed to be breathing more peacefully.

'Long, long ago, in a place far, far away,' began Emma in a tiny voice.

'Mh-hm,' said Regina, unable to resist a small peck on Emma's cheek.

Emma turned her face and pecked Regina's lips. 'Stop distracting me,' she scolded, still in that small voice.

Regina kissed her back, then said seriously, 'Don't keep me in suspense, darling. I've been waiting all day.'

Emma blushed at the endearment, shifting slightly so their legs were entangled. Regina forced herself to breath normally as she felt a spike in her desire at the contact. Emma didn't seem to have noticed any difference. Holding Regina close, she continued in a stronger voice, 'A um, a Sheriff – a very good and badass Sheriff – found that she liked someone.'

Regina couldn't resist another peck, this time on Emma's lips, 'Good and badass eh?'

'Yes,' said Emma a trifle challengingly.

Hearing no response, she burrowed further into Regina and continued,

'The person the Sheriff liked, she was very beautiful.'

'Uh-huh,' said Regina, lightly running her fingers up Emma's back. Emma lifted her head to kiss Regina – a chaste kiss that held a little longer this time.

She continued, 'The beautiful person – she was sending her many, many, many, many mixed signals.'

'That many, huh?' said Regina teasingly. The pace at which Emma was going, she wasn't sure she could hold out. She knew that under their play and the desire lay something serious that maybe neither of them were ready to confront. And it was taking everything she had to not flip Emma over and – Regina breathed out slowly as she felt Emma's fingers unbuttoning her own shirt.

There was some shuffling as Emma continued speaking, her voice growing more confident, a little deeper, 'The Sheriff thought this person liked her – but then she found out that an absolute oaf was her – soulmate.'

Regina couldn't help it. She pulled Emma's head to her and kissed her deeply. Emma didn't seem to mind, as her arms wrapped around Regina. Their kissing intensified as Regina began gently drawing Emma's tongue into her mouth, sliding across it with her own tongue, and rolling their bodies over, pinned them down. Emma's unbuttoned shirt fell apart, as Regina pushed both her hands underneath Emma's back to unclasp her bra, and push it up. Emma gasped but didn't resist as Regina drew her head back, and began kissing down Emma's neck, and took one nipple in her mouth.

She felt it then, even as her lips closed around the softness of Emma's breast – in the grip Emma had around her head with her fingers, in the press of her legs as they moved between hers, in the very surrender of Emma's body – the desperation that meant Emma thought this was her only and last chance.

Reluctantly, Regina forced herself to calm down and release Emma, even as Emma whined slightly at the loss. Regina's own satin slip was bunched at her knees, as their entwined, naked legs slid across each other, in a friction neither seemed to get enough of. Regina moved back to the pillow and rested her head beside Emma.

Emma sighed, but continued as if there had been no interruption, 'Tinker Bell told the Sheriff that if Regina didn't marry her soulmate, she would be trapped in the curse forever.'

Regina felt a chill in her heart. Emma was still speaking,

'Emma fought her feelings for a long time, even though she felt Robin Hood was all wrong for Regina. Then Emma – I mean the Sheriff – ' Emma stopped herself to peck Regina's cheek.

Absently, Regina stroked Emma's stomach, thinking hard. Emma continued, 'The Sheriff wrote Regina a letter, explaining what Tinker Bell had said, and how much – how she felt.'

Regina felt her mind whirring as she tried to remember everything Tinker Bell had told her about her soulmate.

Emma was still speaking though, and Regina realised she had missed something. 'But Regina was always giving her the cold shoulder treatment.'

'No, I wasn't,' protested Regina, snapping back to the present, and lightly swatting Emma's stomach.

'Regina is a character in my story. Can I tell my story?' said Emma petulantly, though her hand moved Regina's hand from her stomach to her breast.

They both drew a sharp breath as Regina's fingers curled around Emma's breast, drawing light circles around the soft mound. Regina leaned across and kissed Emma's neck encouragingly.

Emma squirmed, and continued. 'So after many such efforts, the Sheriff finally decided to leave the letter by Regina's bedside table.'

Regina felt herself melting, thinking of all the times she had caught Emma looking at her with that woeful puppy-dog expression, how often she had been on the defensive with her.

'I'm sorry, darling,' began Regina, even as Emma's legs squeezed around hers. (Mental note, thought Regina, call her 'darling' more.) 'This is all your wretched mother's fault.'

Emma, to Regina's relief, let out a small giggle. 'Well, I came here to leave the letter, thinking you would have gone to see Robin before you came home. But you were here. And you kissed me. Then you said – ' she broke off.

' – then I thought you were Robin,' finished Regina for her.

'Yes,' said Emma a trifle sulkily. 'Do I really look like him?' She gasped as Regina squeezed her breast lightly, her thumb making insistent circles around her nipple. 'It was dark,' said Regina, 'I was preoccupied. And your kiss – '

'He smells funny and he looks – ,' began Emma, shifting under Regina's hand.

Regina kissed her neck, her shoulders, her arms, her cheek, then said soothingly, 'Behave, darling.' Emma laughed a little, and turned to Regina, one leg firmly ensconced between Regina's legs.

'Or what?' said Emma challengingly.

Without hesitation, Regina turned and straddled Emma, pinning her down with her body. Emma moaned as one of Regina's legs pressed into her core. Then, almost lazily, Regina drew herself up and pulled her slip over her head and tossed it on the floor, her dark hair falling down her shoulders.

In nothing but her panties, with her body taut and proud, her stiff nipples brushing against Emma's body, Regina leaned back over Emma and said throatily, 'You're going to regret asking that question, Ms Swan.'